Latest news with #KieranMcKenna
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Championship 2025/26 fixtures, dates, how to watch & more
It's only been over a month since Sunderland stunned Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final to end their eight-year exile from the Premier League. The Blades were looking for a swift return to the top flight after a dismal 2023/24 campaign. But they ultimately fell short at the final hurdle, losing 2-1 despite drawing first blood. Advertisement They'll be hoping they're second-time lucky, and a fast start to the season could set the tone for a successful campaign. Luckily for Chris Wilder's side, they'll kick off the Championship campaign with a rematch against Bristol City, having faced The Robins in last season's play-off semi-finals. United wiped the floor with Liam Manning's side, winning 6-0 on aggregate to advance to the final and will be looking to repeat that feat despite Bristol's managerial change. United's game against Bristol is one of many in a bumper opening weekend fixture schedule. Relegated Ipswich Town will get the ball rolling on Friday, August 8, with a trip to St. Andrew's, where they will face Championship newcomers Birmingham City. Advertisement The Blues won the League One title with an EFL record 111 points, while Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys were relegated from the Premier League in their first top-flight campaign in over two decades. Southampton, who were relegated from the Premier League alongside Ipswich, will kick off Saturday's round of action at home to League One runners-up Wrexham. Leicester City aren't in action until Sunday, August 10, when they welcome Sheffield Wednesday to the King Power Stadium. As the new season draws closer, all eyes will be on Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton, who will be determined to bounce straight back to the Premier League. Advertisement Leicester pulled it off in 2023/24 when they steamrolled their way to the top flight with an impressive 97 points, while Southampton joined them after a dramatic play-off final win against Leeds United. But the spotlight won't just be on the relegated trio. Wrexham will also be a major talking point. Backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Red Dragons have enjoyed a Hollywood-inspired rise to the English second tier and will fancy their chances of making it four promotions in a row this season. Their curtain-raiser against Southampton will be a strong test of their Championship credentials, but they'll still have to navigate upcoming fixtures against West Bromwich Albion, Wednesday, and Millwall. First round of Championship fixtures Friday, August 8 Birmingham City v Ipswich Town Advertisement Saturday, August 9 Charlton Athletic v Watford Coventry City v Hull City Middlesbrough v Swansea City Norwich City v Millwall Oxford United v Portsmouth Queens Park Rangers v Preston North End Sheffield United v Bristol City Southampton v Wrexham Stoke City v Derby County West Bromwich Albion v Blackburn Rovers Sunday, August 10 Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday How to access the full Championship fixture schedule? The full 2025/26 Championship fixture schedule is available at the EFL Match Centre. You can also find League One and League Two fixtures there. How to watch? Every single EFL game across the opening weekend in the Championship, League One and League Two will be available to watch on Sky Sports and Sky Sports+ in the UK. The latter will cover over 1,000 games from 1,891 matches across the EFL, Carabao Cup, and Vertu Trophy live throughout the season. You can also check our Championship live streaming section for more options on how to catch all the action from the upcoming campaign. Key EFL dates 2025/26 EFL opening weekends League One and League Two: Friday, August 1 – Sunday, August 3 Championship: Friday, August 8 – Sunday, August 10 Advertisement Final games of the regular season Weekend of May 2/3, 2026 Play-off finals
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Former Man United star 'set to sign for Burnley' as a free agent in return to the Premier League after his side were relegated last season
A former Manchester United star is returning to the Premier League with Burnley after his side were relegated last season. The Clarets will return to the top flight this season after just one year away, with Scott Parker leading them back to second place in the Championship with a stellar defensive record. They conceded just 16 goals in 46 matches as they reached 100 points, finishing second only on goal difference after Leeds scored 95 goals to Burnley's 69. That hasn't stopped the club looking to reinforce their defence, however, and they are now on the verge of signing a defender who can play at either centre back or right back, according to a report. The Athletic suggest Axel Tuanzebe is on the verge of putting pen to paper on a deal to move to Turf Moor from Ipswich, two years after he joined Kieran McKenna 's side. The now-27-year-old played 37 times for United's first team after making his way through the academy, before leaving for Ipswich on a permanent basis in 2023. Tuanzebe, who suffered a bizarre thumb injury last season, joined United at the age of eight. He became the first first-year scholar to captain the first team since Gary Neville, and made his first team debut in January 2017 at the age of 19. He struggled for first team game time, however, and went on loan five times - three of those spells being at Aston Villa. The defender first joined Villa in January 2018, but made just five appearances before the end of the season. He did, though, head back to Villa Park for the entirety of the next campaign as Villa were promoted to the Premier League. After that campaign, he started to play more at United before injuries stared to come into play. He joined Villa again for the 2021-22 season, but was recalled in January. After that, he spent time at Napoli and Stoke on a temporary basis, before joining Ipswich permanently in the summer of 2023. Now, though, his contract is up and he is seemingly set to join Burnley as a free agent. Ipswich did offer him a new deal. He will become the third signing of the summer for the Clarets, who have already secured moves for Quilindschy Hartman from Feyenoord and goalkeeper Max Weiss from Karlsruher in Germany.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Axel Tuanzebe undergoing Burnley medical ahead of proposed free transfer
Defender Axel Tuanzebe is undergoing a medical at Burnley ahead of a proposed move as a free agent. Tuanzebe spent the last two seasons at Ipswich Town, making 44 appearances for the club. He was used primarily as a right-back by Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, though he is capable of operating in the centre of defence. Advertisement Ipswich confirmed in their retained list earlier this month that they had offered Tuanzebe a new deal. The 27-year-old's 2024-25 campaign was disrupted by injury, making 23 appearances in all competitions as Ipswich finished 18th and were relegated to the Championship. He was ruled out for a month in October after cutting his thumb while washing up and requiring surgery on the injury. Hamstring and thigh issues, as well as another thumb injury, caused him to miss 13 games in total. A move to Burnley would see Tuanzebe become the club's third signing of the summer, having already secured the arrivals of left-back Quilindschy Hartman from Feyenoord and goalkeeper Max Weiss from German side Karlsruher ahead of their return to the Premier League next season. Tuanzebe joined Manchester United's academy as an eight-year-old and made his debut for the senior team in January 2017, aged 17. He spent the second half of the 2017-18 season on loan at Aston Villa and rejoined the club for the following campaign. Over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns he was used a rotation option at United, making his Champions League debut in October 2020 in a 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Tuanzebe rejoined Villa on loan again in August 2021 before the was spell terminated and he was loaned to Napoli for the rest of the season. He only made two appearances for the Serie A club and joined Stoke City on loan for the 2022-23 season, though injuries limited him to five games. Following the expiration of his United contract in 2023, Tuanzebe joined Ipswich on a one-year deal which was extended for a further 12 months last summer. ()
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
O'Shea signs new five-year contract at Town
Ipswich Town defender Dara O'Shea has signed a new five-year contract. Following a £12m switch from Burnley last summer, the 26-year-old Republic of Ireland international was one of the team's most consistent performers in a Premier League relegation campaign. Advertisement As a result, Leeds, Wolves and former employers Burnley were all credited with interest in giving the centre-back a quick return to the top flight, something he did after going down with both West Brom and Burnley. O'Shea said recently he was 'fully committed' to Ipswich though and has now penned fresh terms until 2030, his previous deal having been due to expire in 2029. That makes him the longest contracted player at the club. "I'm really happy and very proud to have signed a new contract at Ipswich Town,' he told the club website. 'We learned a lot last season and that will be really important for us going forward. I'm glad to have signed this new contract and I am ready to get to work again in pre-season. Advertisement Dara O'Shea played more minutes than another Ipswich player last season. (Image: PA) 'There are good characters and good human beings at this club and I want to help deliver success again and help the club get back into the Premier League. This is a massive club but it can continue to grow and I'm excited." Blues boss Kieran McKenna, who hinted at O'Shea being the club's next captain in the making back in April, said: 'We're delighted Dara has further committed his future to the club. 'He has been an important figure for us since his arrival last summer, putting in consistently good performances on the pitch while also bringing character and leadership to the group off it. Advertisement 'He has real experience, despite still being relatively young for a central defender, and we believe he has the ability to further improve in the years to come. 'We're excited to now be working with him for an extended period as we continue to prepare for the season ahead.' IPSWICH TOWN CONTRACTS IN TALKS: Axel Tuanzebe 2026: Christian Walton, Harry Clarke*, Conor Townsend, Elkan Baggott, Sam Morsy, Jack Taylor, Cameron Humphreys*, Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin, Nathan Broadhead 2027: Luke Woolfenden*, George Hirst 2028: Alex Palmer, Aro Muric, Cieran Slicker, Ben Johnson, Leif Davis, Chiedozie Ogbene, Sammie Szmodics, Jack Clarke, Ali Al-Hamadi 2029: Jacob Greaves, Omari Hutchinson, Jaden Philogene 2030: Dara O'Shea * Known 12 months extension option in club's favour
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
O'Shea signs new five-year Ipswich deal
Ipswich Town centre-back Dara O'Shea has signed a new five-year contract with the Championship club. The 26-year-old Republic of Ireland international joined Town last summer and played 35 Premier League games in 2024-25. Advertisement He began his career at West Bromwich Albion and made his top-flight debut for Burnley two seasons ago, adding a further two appearances at the start of last term before moving to Portman Road. "He has real experience, despite still being relatively young for a central defender, and we believe he has the ability to further improve in the years to come," said head coach Kieran McKenna. Ipswich will find out on Thursday who they will play at the start of the new season following last season's relegation. "We learned a lot last season and that will be really important for us going forward. I'm glad to have signed this new contract and I am ready to get to work again in pre-season," said O'Shea, the club's Player of the Year. Advertisement "There are good characters and good human beings at this club and I want to help deliver success again and help the club get back into the Premier League. This is a massive club but it can continue to grow and I'm excited."
